The Signal Flow of a
Recording Studio

The Importance of I/O "Inputs and Outputs"

Is your brain alive test #2: Q) How many mic/instrument inputs would you need to record this
4 piece ensemble?

A) I count 10 (if everyone sings) (of course if
the drummer is a [bleep]s/he might want to double mic each drum and raise the i/o
count)

Having the right amount of i/o
or inputs and outputs is absolutely essential to making the
right decisions for your rig. Many people get fooled here, and they feel like
idiots after they make a huge and expensive blunder. Whether you go with
an audio interface by itself, use a mixer and a soundcard or interface, of get a
multi track recorder, the question is always the same: How much i/o do
you need? What kind of i/o is the next question. Do
you need at least 8 mic preamps to record you band? Or do you need 16?
Of course if you are recording by yourself, one track at a time you only need 1
or 2 (for stereo). Avoid the mistake of thinking adding a mixer adds to
your overall i/o. It does not. It just gives you more ways to connect gear to
your existing i/o on your recorder or audio interface/soundcard.

With inexpensive
multitrack recorders, you might read the they are a "16 track" but when you
open it up you realize it only has 2 or 4 mic preamps and maybe a pair of line
inputs. That 16 track will not record the small band above. As you
go up in price, usually your i/o increases. As we get to 24 tracks, the
desktop format MTR becomes impractical due to the large size of the mixer and
huge number of i/o jacks.

The modular multi track recorder typically has 24 inputs and
24 outputs. The idea is that you will add a 24 (or 32) channel mixer,
either digital or analog. You can connect 24 mics if you want and record
24 tracks at once. After recording, the board has to be reconfigured for
the mix where the 24 outputs of the recorder now feed the mixer's 24 inputs.
That is where the patchbay comes in. You
can quickly and easily switch the board from recording to playback. (Note:
some boards have channels that do double duty of recording and playback on a
single fader. We'll get to those "Mix B"
boards later). Large digital mixers
are often configurable with internal switching between the analog inputs (from
the band) and the digital inputs from the recorder via ADAT lightpipe or Tascam
TDIF cables).

The Modular Multi-track Recording Studio

The modular multi-track studio is most
appropriate for those seeking to record bands where many tracks may be
recorded at the same time. This design is classic because it goes back to
the 70's and 80's when multi-track reel to reel machines were mixed down to a 2
track reel to reel. Today, the equivalent of those machines is the 24
track modular digital recorder and 2 Track Recorder.
In the old days, the tracks were sent to a 2 track reel to reel. Today
there are many options for recording the mix, even
handheld portable digital recorders as the quality is now very impressive on
these.
Almost any computer can work here, even laptops, as 2 track recording does not
take much CPU or memory.

Loaded with top of the line features ranging from
24Bit/96kHz sample rate, standard WAV file recording format for use with
numerous DAW applications, 4GB Built-in Memory for up to 6 hours of
recording time at 16Bit/44.1kHz.

To rephrase, the multi track recorder simply records the
performances as they stream out of the mixer. On playback, the signals go
back through the mixer, through sends and returns from the rack of processors
and out the 2 track output to a second recorder or computer with a soundcard or
audio interface.

Presenting the new state-of-the-art in
digital recording systems. With 24 tracks, 2 swappable bays,
built-in computer interface, and resolution up to 24-bit/48 kHz,
it's easy to see why this is the future of recording.

Note the patchbay routing traffic
between the processor rack and the mixer. A patchbay allows the easy
insertion of compressors, fx boxes, harmonizers, eqs, wherever they are needed.
A decent mixer will have inserts, direct outs, sends and returns which will all
feed the patchbay. This allows the insertion of devices in either the
recording chain or the playback chain efficiently. For example, if you
have an expensive vintage compressor you could use it to record the vocal and
once that is done you could repatch easily to enhance the drums on playback.

While the basic example above uses all analog
connections, the modular multi-track rig can also be fully digital. If a
digital mixer is used once can use the digital i/o of the multi track.
Most of today's processors also have digital i/o and the digital mixer can do
all the functions of a patchbay in its software. A well-equipped digital
mixer will have its own effects and processors onboard which will lessen the
need for an outboard rack. As one goes digital, the only analog
connections that may remain are those tied to microphones. As these home
studios go semi-pro, they may add high end preamps to replace the
functions of the onboard mixer preamps. That step, along with careful room
treatment or the addition of rooms for guitars, drums, vocals can dramatically
bring one's home studio up to a great spec.

Studio Social Manners courtesy of Tweak's
Lab

(or how to create a sense of mystique
around your studio)

Studio owners sometimes appear to outsiders to have a smug, downright
condescending attitude. Its hard to avoid, as we don't want too
may ppl talking in there, particularly we don't need loudmouths.

But here is how it looks to them. You follow your friend's band
to the studio and someone stops you at the door and smiles "sorry" and
you know you are not getting in. The mystique of the recording
studio is defined by who you don't let in. The more socially
popular the people you bar from your studio, the greater the mystique,
the curiosity about what you have running in there.. So its a good
idea to bring in one of your quieter friends and give them the full
tour, let them play with the mics, effects, so when they go back out
they have stories to tell. Years later they will still get asked
"hey, are you still working in the studio". It creates good will,
and lets people know you aren't really a [bleep]hole.

The TASCAM DV-RA1000HD is the new go-to device for
high-resolution mixdown, mastering and event recording. It supports
recording to CD, DVD or hard disk media at up to 192kHz/24-bit PCM
resolution. Like its predecessor, the DV-RA1000, it also records Direct
Stream Digital audio, Sony's revolutionary format created for Super
Audio CDs. TASCAM remains the only manufacturer to offer Direct Stream
Digital recording for under $10,000, making the format attainable for
audiophile archival and professional studio mixdown.
Tweak: This is a high end 2 track
recorder.

Finally, it is possible to incorporate and
integrate a MIDI/Audio sequencer and DAW into the multi-track rig.
In fact, for today's professional studio this allows one to take on a much
larger range of projects. Many of today's clients may come in with work
already started on their home DAWs. An Audio interface with digital
connections such as ADAT will allow 8 channel bulk transfers from DAW to
Multi-track machine. Such a system also lets one use MIDI with its
sequenced tracks, soft synths/samplers, plugins and arranging capabilities to
generate tracks. Through use of various clock protocols such as MTC (MIDI
Time Code), SMPTE or ADAT Sync, the multi track, digital mixer and DAW can all
be synchronized to the same time base.